Solar and Battery Power

The house is partially powered through solar (photovoltaic) panels and battery equipment. During the daytime, the solar panels can power the whole house up to 7KW (with full sun). Any extra demand can be supplied from the grid. At night time the batteries can power all critical circuits, which excludes the HVAC, the water heater and the drier. During power outages both systems can power the house.

Solar Panels

The photovoltaic solar panels are from Mission Solar in San Antonio and installed on the south facing roof of the garage. 16 panels generate up to 7,000 Watts total. N-Type 108HC Mono-facial High Efficiency N-type MSX10-xxxHN0B

Batteries and Controller

The power system uses 7 B&S PHI 3.8 Lithium Ferro Phosphate Batteries and a Sol-Ark 12K Inverter/Charger. The batteries are used by the military due to their robustness. Total battery charge storage equates to 27 KW/h. This can power an empty house for 3.5 days. It does not power the HVAC, Water Heater or Dryer. The Sol-Ark is programmable for many scenarios. Briggs and Stratton Battery Sol-Ark 12K-2P Hybrid Inverter/Charger

Typical Solar Capture

Peak generation on a Winter Day is about 5000 Watts. On a bright Summer day it is closer to 7000 Watts. When the house is empty and the HVAC isn't needed the house power can be met through solar with surplus power being sent back to the grid. The batteries power the house at night. The solar power is fed to all the house equipment, so during the day time even the HVAC is powered once the batteries are recharged.

Power Outage

If power goes out solar and battery power is available for the critical circuits. This doesn't include HVAC, Water Heater or Dryer. If power goes out, please contact the owners, this has not been completely tested and we may need to provide guidance. In cold weather, a propane powered (indoor) space heater is available again after consulting the owners. Avoid using things like hair dryers which use a lot of power. In the summer the AC will not operate unless there is enough solar power.